Multilingual people have an advantage over people that can only speak one language. Being a polyglot opens your doors to better employment opportunities, more interesting in-city experiences and, the ability to interact better with people from other cultures. It is very simple; if you have a second language, you can simply interact better with other people. Polyglots are often perceived as intellectuals, and for a good reason, the ability to represent ideas in different languages to different cultures attracts attention. It is an impressive trait being able to correspond with a waiter in their language when you go out on a date. There is sexiness in being multilingual because intellectualism is a form of attractiveness. In a way, you are also doubling or tripling your chances of finding that right person, because you can easily communicate with more people....

We’re doing something a little different this year. The Summer Intensive will be a combination of the Spring Clinic–two Saturday clinics for 8 hours each–and a weekly class from June 16 to August 28. The clinics will take place on June 7 and June 14. By attending both, you will be introduced to–or complete a review of–the following: i. The Yoruba Alphabet, Tones, Morphemes v. Numbers, Counting vii. Greetings – Basic time of day greetings & introduction to situational greetings ix. Parts of speech, Sentence construction, Question construction, Elision, Negation, Tenses xvi. Everyday words, Vocabulary xxiv. Proverbs This provides the unique opportunity for students at all levels, who may have not been available to attend the weekday classes during the Winter Session, to catch up in time for the Summer course, which is a continuation with a focus on...

Who I Am Oruko mi ni Basirat Ottun. Mo’n gbe ni Brooklyn. Mo je omo Yoruba. Currently, I am one of a number of people that have been given the tremendous opportunity to take part in the Yoruba Fluency Project. I began my Yoruba language classes in February 2014, and will continue through with the project over the course of the next few months. Part of the project will consist of a trip by project participants to Nigeria to engage in language and art related projects. Lost in Translation Being that I am a second-generation Nigerian American, some may wonder why I would even need to take Yoruba classes. Shouldn’t I already know the language? The answer to this question is two-fold both yes and no. On the one hand, I am no stranger to the Yoruba language. As...

This article is a continuation of the previous article on Traditional Yoruba Marriage. Now, we will be looking at specific terms defining the marriage process. The traditional wedding itself is called “Igbeyawo.” It literally means “the carrying of the bride.” This term is coined from the old tradition of lifting the new bride into her new home as a welcoming act. This is usually done after the party is over and the bride is taken to the groom’s family house or, in modern days, her new home. She is escorted by her friends with gifts such as kitchen utensils, clothes, jewelry and all things used by women. Once she gets to her new home, a woman is selected from the groom’s family to ushers her into the home. At the entrance of the house, the bride’s feet are...

Africa is blessed with beautiful scenery and landmarks attractive for tourist visits. Yorubaland is particularly rich in natural habitats and landmarks, places that have become great tourist attractions for visitors from within and outside of Nigeria. These sites provide a boost for the Nigerian economy as well. We would be looking at some of these landmarks found in Yoruba land. The Lekki Conservative Centre The Lekki Conservative Centre is situated in the outer skirts of Lagos state on the Lekki-Epe Expressway. As the name implies, it is a conservationist site for native animals and plants on the verge of extinction. It is a 78-hectare reserve comprised of mixed swamp and savannah. If you are looking for a place to relax with breathtaking views of wild life, where you can learn a bit about the animal kingdom, this is...

We are very impressed with the newest Yoruba cartoons produced by Golden Effects Studios, the “Alo” series by Kunle Afolayan. Great lessons for the young ones, or for anyone learning Yoruba. Yorubas are very diplomatic and love to speak in riddles. This series helps you to add a few such riddles to your repertoire, but also provides great vocabulary lessons. The videos are super short, too, so you can use them as something like educational flashcards. Share with your little ones and those that have little...